By Ian S Palmer
Ivan Baranchyk of Belarus will battle it out with unbeaten Montana Love of Cleveland, Ohio in Love’s hometown this Sunday, August 29th. It’s unclear if this is an eight or 10-round bout but it will be featured on the undercard of the Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley event and will be broadcast on Showtime pay-per-view. Baranchyk last fought in October for the vacant WBC Silver Jr. Welterweight Title against Jose Zepeda and was stopped in the fifth round of an all-out brawl and fight of the year which saw Zepeda down twice in round one and once in rounds two and five and Baranchyk down once in rounds two, three, four and five. Love last fought in June when he stopped Olaide Fijabi after two rounds.
The 28-year-old Baranchyk, who was born in Russia, now fights out of Oklahoma and enters the contest with a mark of 20-2 with 13 Kos. He made a name for himself in the World Boxing Super Series in May, 2019 when he put his IBF Jr. Welterweight Title on the line in Scotland against hometown hero Josh Taylor. He was dropped twice in the sixth round and lost a unanimous decision with two of the judges giving it to Taylor just 115-111 despite the two knockdowns.
Baranchyk had won the vacant IBF Title earlier in the tournament when he stopped Anthony Yigit after seven rounds and stopped Gabriel Bracero in the fourth round for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental Title in October, 2019. He stands 5-feet-8-inches tall but his 67-inch reach and owns pretty good power with a current knockout ratio of 59.1 per cent but isn’t known as a one-punch KO artist. Baranchyk generally wears his opponents down all night long by digging hard shots to the head and body.
He enjoyed a fine amateur career and won a gold medal at the 2009 World Junior Championships. He’s boxed 104 rounds since turning pro in 2014 and has also won the USBA Super Lightweight Title and the WBC USNBC Super Lightweight Belt. Baranchyk’s also beaten the likes of Nicholas Givan, Eliseo Sesma, Zhimin Wang, Wilberth Lopez, Abel Ramos, Petr Petrov and Keenan Smith.
Montana Love is a 26-year-old southpaw who will enter the ring with a near-perfect record of 15-0-1 with 7 Kos. The only blemish on it being an eight-round draw with Kenneth Sims Jr. In July, 2018 for the vacant World Boxing Council Youth Silver Super Lightweight Title. He made his pro debut back in April, 2015 and has boxed 71 rounds since.
Love enjoyed an amateur career and made it to the National Golden Gloves semifinals in 2012 where he was beaten by Jamontay Clark. He also lost to Rashidi Ellis as an amateur but beat Erickson Lubin. He stands 5-feet-8-inches tall, which is the same as Baranchyk, but has a slight 1.5-inch edge in reach with a wingspan of 68.5-inches.
He’ll be taking a big step up in class on the weekend as his list of opponents so far includes names such as Wilfredo Acuna, Samuel Teah, Ricardo Garcia, Michael Ogundo, Jerrico Walton and Cameron Krael. Love isn’t really a power puncher as his current knockout ratio stands at 43.7 per cent. Love is also a rapper and has dedicated himself to boxing since 2016 after serving a 16-month prison sentence for several charges including grand theft.
Prediction…
Baranchyk fought well against Taylor in the World Boxing Super Series and has a punishing style when he’s at his best. He can be relentless at times but it’s hard to say how his brutal knockout at the hands of Zepeda will affect him especially after seemingly having Zepeda down and out. Love is a solid young pro with enough skills to give Baranchyk trouble. This is a crucial bout for Baranchyk as his career could definitely be on the downswing with a second straight loss. He needs to win this fight to be considered a legitimate title challenger once again and it’ll be interesting to see if he has what it takes to bounce back. I have a feeling he’ll pull it off in a close fight.
